Wednesday, January 2, 2013

One of the most celebrated
children books of all time has finally made the silver screen. What you
may not know is just how much the Hobbit reveals to us about the secret
life of the legendary writer, linguist, and grifter, J.R.R. Tolkien.

The RingTolkien won his prized gold ring at a pub over a
game of riddles, by stumping the then riddle-master, C.S. Lewis. Tolkien
asked his now immortalized riddle: "What have I got in my pockets?" The
answer, of course, being the gold ring he had previous lifted from
Lewis's own pocket only a half hour before.

Tolkien was nearly
killed that night by Lewis's wrath, and a broken pool cue. But the
daring writer escaped from a bathroom window, and was never seen at the
likes of the Goblin Hole again.

Neither of them spoke a word of
it anyone after that night. But as an ultimate gloat, Tolkien
replicated his triumph in the riddle game of the Hobbit, and then had it
published.

RivendellWhile writing the Hobbit, Mr.
Tolkien would spend weeks at time locked away in his room. Sometime his
body and clothes alike would become incredibly foul. What should have
been a simple task of delivery his clothes to the local Chinese
laundromat proved difficult due to Tolkien's inexplicable and deep
mistrust of laundromats.

Tolkien's personal breakthrough comes at
the same time as writing about Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the
company, overcoming his strong mistrust of elves, and giving his
family's treasured treasure map to be examined by Elrond. So does
Tolkien finally overcome his own prejudices against laundromats, and
finally gives Mr. Chang his smelly, smelly clothes.

GandalfGandalf,
by far one of Tolkien's most bearded characters, is Tolkien's take on
one peculiar postman Mr. Gunderman, who would stop by Tolkien's family's
house, and periodically attempt to recruit a young Tolkien on various
quests whenever his parents were out of the house. Later arrested (but
never convicted) Mr. Gunderman would always be a source of inspiration
for the writer.